Our Long Awaited Boy
by Downtonswonders
Summary: This is the sequel to my first story "Christmas 1914" and follows little Oliver as he grows up in Downton. Cora and Robert couldn't be happier. They have finally been blessed with their long awaited boy. But when Cora goes to comfort her crying son one night will what she finds throw their happiness off course?
1. Our Long Awaited Boy

Welcome back! I've taken a few days to think of a plot and figure some things out for my story but I'm now ready to continue. I'm of course changing up a few things from the original television plot but like I said at the beginning of my first story please bear with me! I should have also said this in my first story but I own nothing but my plot. Downton and it's incredible characters have always and will always belong to Julian Fellowes. Here's chapter 1 of "Our Long Awaited Boy" as always reviews are so very much appreciated.

Our Long Awaited Boy

It had been nearly two years since Oliver's rather traumatic entry to the world. But what a two years it had been. Matthew and Mary had been married the following May after he had received his "calling up" letter in a hasty but by no means less beautiful ceremony in the local church. Matthew had come to her and told her plainly that if he was to go off to war, he wanted to come home to his wife and so on the 29th of May 1915, Robert gave his eldest daughter away amid a cheering village and tearing family. Mary was even sure she caught her grandmother brushing her right eye, a notion the dowager tried valiantly to push from her granddaughter's head. Her dress was simple but beautiful and he looked handsome as always in his coal-black suit. The only tear shed on the couple's part was by Mary, upon entering the church, catching her beloved Carson's eye. The Butler gave a kind and proud smile as she entered and beamed from ear to ear when she kissed him softly on the cheek. Cora, who had given nanny Barton the afternoon off, had stood in the first pew bouncing a then 5-month-old and giggling Oliver up and down while Matthew played "peek-a-boo" with him from the alter. Then the organ sounded and she and Matthew spun to face the door. Matthew's face lit up as his beautiful wife-to-be walked in on her father's arm, a look she returned with equally as much joy. The ceremony was quick and the reception was yet another joyous escape from the turmoil going on around them. They honeymooned in France for just a week before they returned home and two days later Mary kissed her husband goodbye as he boarded the train for war. But as always Downton was not kept tranquil for long. Sybil had a new found love for politics, much to the dismay of her parents and grandmother and to further their distress, the family's new chauffeur, Tom Branson, seemed to have taken an unsettling shine to her. Edith kept her self busy by enlisting Branson to teach her to drive and using her new skill to help the recently recovered Mr. Drake on his farm by driving his tractor only to have her services cut short by an unsightly encounter which was unfortunately witnessed by Mrs. Drake. But amid the turmoil there was one person in the house who could only ever bring the house joy. Oliver had flourished in the sanctuary of Downton and loved nothing more than making nanny bring him outside to run and play in the seemingly endless fields of the place he called home. His sisters, especially Sybil, would often join him for games of catch in the grass or hide and seek in the house when it was wet. It was also not uncommon to catch Cora behind a wall watching and smiling as her little boy ran around in an attempt to find her. He also very much enjoyed his sisters taking him out to pet and feed the fine horses in the stable and when he was a bit bigger Sybil would sit him on her lap and take him for a gentle ride on her stallion around the grounds, an experience that always delighted the little boy. Cora spent a lot more time with Oliver than she had her girls which was to be expected with the changing times. But he still had a full-time nanny like his sisters before him and was usually kept out of her way unless she asked to see him. But the real sight to behold was Robert. The little boy had brought unimaginable happiness to his life and it was a wonder to watch him with his son. Along with his wife, he adored playing hide and seek when he felt no one was watching. He would often take Oliver on long walks around the Tennant Farms smiling in delight as the little boy marveled at the various animals. Nanny would also sometimes have to shoo him out so she could put a very tired Oliver to bed after hours of playing with his father in the privacy of the nursery. Robert hadn't been this happy in such and long time and it made Cora even happier to see that. As it neared the little boy's second birthday, they watched as he stared starry-eyed at the humongous Christmas tree that stood in the main hall, glittering with ornaments after a full day of decorating. When Cora looked back on the night of his birth she remembered her Christmas wish and staring at her son now asleep in his father's lap by the fire, she thought to her self how, even in her wildest dreams, she could never have imagined something as perfect as this.

There's chapter 1! I hope you enjoyed the beginning of my sequel to "Christmas 1914" and I will have chapter 2 up as soon as I can. Once again reviews are very greatly appreciated.


	2. A Cry In The Night

Welcome back! Here's chapter 2 of "Our Long Awaited Boy" I hope you enjoy it and as always reviews are very much appreciated.

A Cry In The Night

It took two glasses of warm milk and bedtime stories from both mama and papa to get an extremely excited Oliver to sleep that Christmas Eve. Mrs. Patmore had allowed him down into the kitchens to help her bake the cookies for Father Christmas and had helped him pour the glass of milk to be left by the fireplace. This only added to the boy's already huge excitement so it was a relief he was finally asleep. Cora and Robert got up as quietly as possible for fear of waking their sleeping son and tiptoed to the nursery door. Before they left they stood in the doorway for just a moment and glanced fondly at their little boy. "Isn't he marvelous?" Robert whispered in his wife's ear. "Yes" she said softly "and he's ours". Then kissing him on the cheek and catching her husband's hand they left the room closing the door softly behind them and made their way downstairs to join the others in a Christmas Eve toast before they too bid the day farewell and went to bed to dream of their little boy's face and the delight tomorrow would bring him.

They were woken the next morning by a little bundle jumping on top of them and a very flustered and apologetic nanny running behind it. Since he got better at walking Oliver had become very skilled at escaping the women and it was a source of great enjoyment for the family when he would come bursting in through the dining room door when they held a dinner party and they would have to use every reserve to restrain themselves from laughing out loud as they watched Carson and nanny chase the giggling little boy around the room until they eventually chased him out. Putting on her dressing gown and picking up her son Cora wished him a happy birthday and a merry Christmas took him from the room and, closely followed by Robert, they made their way to the stairs. Upon reaching the bottom the couple watched in wonder as the little boy's face lit up at the sight of the Christmas tree and the masses of beautifully wrapped presents that lay underneath it. Putting him back down Cora chuckled as Oliver ran to the tree and started to pick up and shake the many boxes beneath it. Sybil had appeared at the top of the stairs also in her dressing gown and she too chuckled at her little brother's excitement. "Merry Christmas Mama, Merry Christmas Papa" she said, kissing each of them on the cheek before heading to the tree to help Oliver sort out the presents with his name on them. Mary and Edith appeared some 20 minutes later to quite the little toy shop. Violet had gifted the little boy a beautiful rocking horse and it stood grandly in the middle of the hall. From Isobel and Matthew, who was unfortunately absent due to the war, he had gotten a fluffy, brown teddy bear that he was carrying around fondly. From his sisters, he had received a set of building blocks out of which he had built, with Sybil's help, of course, a structure he called "Oliver's farm". But his obvious favorite from the moment he took it out of the box, was the toy train he had been given by his parents. The family had watched and beamed as Oliver screamed in delight at his new toy and once again when, after Robert had helped him set it up the track so it went all the way around the tree, the engine moved, puffing smoke as it went. Oliver watched the train go round and round for another hour, mesmerized at its motion until nanny broke his gaze by telling him he had to come upstairs to get dressed for lunch. Oliver protested but after Cora promised him he could play with the train until granny arrived if he was dressed quickly. At this, he sprung up and left nanny trailing behind him as he ran as fast as he could to the nursery. The older Crawleys laughed before they too made their way upstairs to get dressed for lunch.

Violet arrived at 12 o'clock sharp, as she always did and was greeted by Oliver bounding up to her to thank her for her gift. He was closely followed by Sybil, who lifted the little boy up to kiss his grandmother on the cheek before placing him back down and they both watched and smiled as he ran back to the tree to play with his train. Then Sybil turned to Violet and kissed her on the cheek, thanking her for the beautiful diamond necklace she had gifted her and then they went to the dining room for lunch. Isobel arrived about fifteen minutes later and Oliver repeated his energetic ritual. As each of the other Crawley girls entered they also thanked their grandmother for her kind gifts. Edith had been given a Saphire broach and Mary an heirloom pearl bracelet which she was utterly delighted with. Isobel had given them each an elegant hat pin which they thanked her graciously for. The family had decided to let Oliver have lunch with them, something Violet had one or two things to say about but upon seeing the joy on her grandson's face at being allowed to sit at "the big table" it put an end to her argument. He sat next to his mother and as he did so he sneezed loudly. "Oh dear," Cora said softly, cleaning him up with her napkin and pinching his nose when she finished making the little boy giggle. He had had this cold for nearly a week now and it didn't seem to be getting any better but she supposed the cold weather wasn't making things any better so she gave it no further thought. They were a jolly party indeed, they talked and laughed until almost 2 o'clock when they decided they were finished eating and went to the library for coffee and made a quick stop at the Christmas tree so Oliver could show off his new toys to his grandmother and cousin. When the got to the library Isobel and Mary exchanged news they had heard from Matthew in letters with the family. But Cora wasn't listening to a word they were saying. All she could do was watch and smile as her two youngest children played. Sybil and Oliver had become very close in their short time together and it brought her such happiness. But it also saddened her that she didn't know when she would get to see it again. Sybil had taken Isobel's advice and applied to a nursing course. Her training started after Christmas and although she was sad to leave her little brother, Sybil felt happy she could do something to help the soldiers and that, Cora thought, is what was important. She banished her sad thought and just enjoyed the moment and laughed out loud when Oliver jumped at Sybil with his teddy bear making growling noises and Sybil pretended to fall over in fright. This is what matters, she thought, the here and now.

It was now well after 10 o'clock in Downton. Oliver had been allowed to stay up until 8 o'clock a rare treat that had made the little boy's day. They had had a birthday cake for him after dinner and now raised glasses to him as he slept as well as once again to the soldiers, both alive and dead. Then they bid each other goodnight and a Merry Christmas and went to bed. In Matthew's absence Isobel had been invited to spend Christmas at Downton, an invitation she gladly accepted. But Violet felt she should go home and so with a kiss to each of them, even Isobel, she made her way home to the Dower House. As Cora and Robert lay in bed together that night they fell asleep quickly, tired from their busy day and dreamed of their little boy, how thankful they were for him, all the happiness he had brought them and all the happiness he would bring them. But then there was a cry.

Cora sat bolt upright. Looking to the clock on her bedside table she groaned. It was 3 o'clock in the morning and Oliver was making quite a fuss. Getting quietly out of bed trying not to wake her husband, she put on her dressing gown and made her way to the nursery. She was astonished no one else had woken up, but then again a child's cry always finds its mother's ear easiest. She entered the room and the first thought that sprung to her mind was where nanny was but when she turned to see her little boy in quite a state she quickly forgot her question. His nose was running, his little cheeks were soaked with tears and he gave a chesty cough between each of his sobs. "Oh my darling," she said kindly making her way to his cot to pick him up. Putting her arms around him she froze and putting him back down she brought her right hand to his forehead. He was burning up. Trying not to show her panic for fear of scaring the little boy, she picked him back up and cradled him as he continued to sob and cough. About two minutes later nanny reentered the room with a glass of water and was initially surprised to see Cora standing there but taking one look at her worry etched face mirrored the look. "I think you better call the doctor," Cora said to her as calmly as she could but the woman heard worry, maybe even fear crack her voice and she put the glass of water down and hurried back downstairs.

There's chapter 2! Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. I'll have chapter 3 up as soon as I can.


	3. Holding Our Breath

Thank you for coming back to read chapter 3! To all those who have left reviews on my previous chapters THANK YOU! You're kind words mean the world to me and I hope you enjoy this chapter

Holding Our Breath

Cora continued her attempt to soothe her little boy. Holding him close to her and gently rocking him back and forth, whispering to him that it was going to be alright. But it was no use. He continued to cry and cough and he was now shaking in his mother's arms. Nanny came back upstairs to tell Cora that Doctor Clarkson would be there in 15 minutes. She nodded, still slowly rocking Oliver back and forth. "I think I'll take him to the Blue Room," she said quietly "Would you wake His Lordship, Mrs. Crawley and the young ladies and inform them of the situation?". It was nanny's turn to nod and she quickly left the room again. Cora followed shortly after taking Oliver to the Blue room which was 4 doors down from the nursery. "It's alright darling," she whispered, "It's alright". Sybil came dashing down the corridor behind her, worry written across her face. "Mama, what is it?" she asked, concerned "Is he hurt?". She quickly received an answer as her little brother gave another chesty cough and she opened the door so her mother could bring him into the room. Cora had told Mrs. Hughes to have the Blue Room made up just in case Violet decided she would be spending the night. The maids must have forgotten the had done so for the bed was still made up with fresh sheets. Edith entered the room with Isobel next. They were followed by her father and older sister. All had worried and slightly frightened looks on their faces when upon entering they heard little Oliver coughing and crying. Nanny joined them 5 minutes later, bringing Doctor Clarkson with her. He set his bag down on the bedside table and laid out a few of his things. Then he made his way to Cora. "If I may Your Ladyship?" he said, gesturing to Oliver. Cora nodded but when she tried to hand her son to the doctor he screamed and grabbed her silk nightgown, hanging on for dear life. A tear rolled down her cheek as she pried her little boy's fingers from the nightgown and he screamed her name. He did so over and over again as Doctor Clarkson examined him and Sybil ran to hug her mother when it all became too much and Cora began to sob. Oliver's hysterical crying had only made his coughing worse and he could now barely get a breath in and was gasping between his screams. This prompted Doctor Clarkson to make his examination brief and he swiftly returned the little boy to his mother. This made him stop screaming but he continued to cough as Cora brought him close to her. "It's nothing too serious yet" he said as the whole family listened apprehensively, "But he is not out of danger. He's got influenza and is in the age category that he may develop serious complications if we don't act quickly". The family stayed silent. No one knew what to say or do and the awkward aura remained until Isobel broke the silence. "What do we need to do?" she asked, she had nursed for many years and had seen quite a few cases of influenza in her time. But none in a boy so young as poor Oliver. "Get him into bed and keep an eye on him, his temperature, his moods and such," the doctor answered, looking at the boy's nanny, "best case scenario he'll be right as rain in a few days. Worst case his condition could worsen and we may have to take him to the hospital". Nanny nodded and started to make her way over to get Oliver but then Sybil stepped forward, "I'll do it," she said confidently, "if I'm to be a nurse I'll have to be good at these things". "I'll stay too" Cora declared, bringing her son to the bed and tucking him in. "I'm his mother. He needs me". Doctor Clarkson walked toward them, "You're both sure?" he questioned, "you'll have to watch him all day and night, without rest". They both nodded their understanding and so he continued. "First, light the fire. He has got a temperature but keeping the room warm will lesses the risk of pneumonia" Sybil looked at nanny who quickly went to fetch matches. "You'll also have to make sure he stays hydrated. If he sleeps, let him sleep but whenever he is awake make sure he drinks plenty of water". At this Edith desperate to feel helpful said, "I'll fetch a water jug," leaving the room "and I'll get a glass," Mary said, following her, "and lastly, fetch me at even the slightest change" Doctor Clarkson added as he packed up his things. "As I said before influenza can be very dangerous to children of Master Oliver's age, so if you notice anything at all call for me". With that Robert and Isobel thanked him and he left for the night. Soon after the other Crawley's bid their goodnights and returned to bed to make use of the few dark hours that were left. But as their family slept, Cora and Sybil got to work. Sybil stoked the freshly lit fire, making sure it was good and warm. Cora pulled the dressing table chair up next to the bed and helped her son sit up in bed and drink some of the cool water that his sister had brought for him. Then she lay him back down, tucked him up once more and he, much to her surprise, fell soundly asleep. She stroked his dark hair affectionately as he slept and then turning to her youngest daughter said anxiously, "what if something happens to him?" fresh tears now rolling down her cheeks. Sybil walked slowly toward her mother and kneeling on the floor beside her took her hand, "He'll be alright Mama I promise, he is a Crawley after all". Craking a small smile, Cora brought Sybil's hand to her lips and kissed it softly. "Thank you darling" and then she turned her head back to her poor little boy and once again stroked his hair as they began what was to be one of the longest days of their lives.

There's chapter 3! thank you once again for reading, as always reviews are very much appreciated and again a huge thank you to those who have already done so. I will have chapter 4 up as soon as I can so goodbye for now!


	4. The Calm Before The Storm

It is a little later than I would have liked but here is chapter 4! Thank you all once again for your kind words and helpful critiques. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

The Calm Before The Storm

All seemed well that next morning. Sybil and Cora had not left Oliver's side for the whole night and breathed a joint sigh of relief when at 8 o'clock the little boy turned over in the bed. Cora had beamed as she carefully lifted a glass of water to her son's lips, watching in relief as he took it and drank it all by himself. Doctor Clarkson visited master Oliver that morning and, much to the joy of the family, declared that while he still had a slight fever he did indeed seem much better. But just to be on the safe side they were told to keep him in bed with a warm fire and continue to keep him hydrated. So throughout the morning, he was paid visits by his doting relatives, even Violet, after hearing of her grandson's plight, made a quick trip to his room and kissed the little boy on the head before she joined the rest of the family downstairs. Later that evening, due to his good condition, Sybil suggested that Cora leave her alone with Oliver and she should get some rest and join the others for dinner. Although relucted at first, the pain that was hunger and the sinking feeling of exhaustion grew ever greater within Cora and after a final reassurance from her youngest daughter, she kissed her little boy on the cheek and returned to her bedroom where she slept until 6 o'clock before O'Brien woke her to dress for dinner. After making her way downstairs she bumped into Robert, who gave her a kind smile and walked with her to the dining room. The rest of the family was waiting for them and they all too smiled at Cora as she entered the room. Dinner went by without a hitch and at about half-past seven the family retired to the drawing-room for drinks. There they spent a further half an hour talking and laughing about various things until a loud shout and hurried footsteps interrupted their tranquil setting.

"Mama! Mama!" Sybil shouted as she came dashing toward the library. She appeared to have been in the process of getting dressed before she made her hurried trip. The buttons on her blouse were unevenly done up, showing the haste in which they had been done in, and her unpinned hair streamed behind her as she came into the family's view. "Mama, It's Oliver" she panted giving her mother an urgent and worried look. Cora shot up, sending the delicate china cup in her lap crashing to the ground. She stepped on one of its many shattered pieces as she hurried after her daughter who was now making her way back upstairs. As they rushed into the room Cora gasped in horror at the scenes that greeted her. Nanny was attempting to console a once again bawling Oliver as he wretched into a basin in her lap. When Nanny helped the little boy lift his head she gasped again as blood began to drip from his nose, eliciting more screams from the frightened boy. As she hurriedly attempted to bring her apron to his face Cora walked quickly to her, helping her untie it from her waist. Then taking the apron in one hand she lifted her little boy from Nanny's arms and brought the garment to his now heavily bleeding nose. Sybil had already left the room to fetch doctor Clarkson and as the rest of the family entered the room they were shocked to silence at the sorry sight before them. Cora was once again gently rocking an incredibly upset Oliver back and forth, holding Nanny's now blood-soaked apron to his nose. She stood like this for a further 10 minutes before Doctor Clarkson hurried through the door, Sybil hot on his heels. He swiftly took the little boy from his mother and he reacted just as he had done the last time the doctor had done so prompting him to finish the examination just as quickly as he had done the last time. Handing the child back to his mother he delivered the grave news. "His fever has gone up, it is now 106", only Isobel gasped at this worrying piece of information. Her years practicing as a nurse had taught her that a fever of 106, especially in a child, was not a good thing and put into perspective for her the growing severity of her cousin's condition. The rest of the family knew of her background and so her gasp made them anxious. "The nosebleed is just a product of repeatedly blowing his nose and how upset this whole ordeal has made him so it is nothing to worry about, however, the product of his cough is. I also suspect he has contracted an ear infection which is not helping matters" the family exchanged worried glances as the doctor continued. "I will stay with him tonight but if his fever has not let up by the morning, I am going to have to recommend taking him to the hospital". His words struck silent fear into the family as they watched Cora put Oliver back into the bed and sit down beside him. His nose had stopped bleeding so she placed the red apron down on the bedside table and she began to once again stroke his hair affectionately. The little boy continued to cry, as the rest of the family except for Sybil, Returned back downstairs. As Doctor Clarkson laid out his things Cora leaned in close to her son and whispered over his sobs. "Stay strong my darling, stay strong for Mama," but sadly it was quickly made clear that is was not only poor Oliver that needed to remain strong as another trying night began its tests.

There it is, I hope you enjoyed Chapter 4! Once again reviews are very much appreciated, I will have chapter 5 up in the next few days and thank you for reading!


	5. Dawn

Thank you for coming back for chapter 5! Before we start I just want to quickly say that I mention the use of a drug called phenobarbital to treat little Oliver. I chose it because it was discovered in 1912 putting it well in my timeline and after doing some research I found that it is one of the oldest and safest drugs used to treat children even today. While it is most often used to treat epilepsy in children, phenobarbital is also a sedative so I felt it was a good choice for my story I may not have all of my facts completely correct regarding its effects so I ask you to once again bear with me! We're nearing the end of our story I hope you enjoy the final two chapters.

Dawn

It had been two hours since Doctor Clarkson had examined Oliver and his condition had worsened. He now no longer cried out for his mother but to thin air as he tossed back and forth seemingly unaware that she was even there. Sybil watched from the corner of the room where she was helping Doctor Clarkson as tears fell freely from her mother's eyes and streamed down her face while she attempted to console her little boy. Then it all became too much. Cora broke down, sobbing into her hands and Sybil dropped what she was holding and rushed to her brother's bedside, lifting her mother's shaking form from the chair and helped her leave the room. Nanny, who had been assisting by fetching anything that was needed, took Sybil's place after she left the room. When they reached the hall, Cora collapsed into her daughter's arms, sobbing uncontrollably. "I can't lose him" she cried, "I can't". Pulling Cora away from her so she could see her face and bringing a handkerchief to her tear-soaked cheeks Sybil said kindly, "Mama, look at me". She waited for a moment and then the shattered women brought her tired blue eyes to meet her's and she continued, "We are not going to lose him. Do you remember what I said? He's a Crawley and thankfully his mother's son". The corners of Cora's mouth twitched as her daughter continued, "but he needs you to remind him of the strength he's inherited". At this, Sybil felt her mother shift her weight to her own two feet and Cora wiped away her tears as she nodded to her daughter. Of course, Sybil was right. However spontaneous and adventurous she could be at times when a crisis arose she was as level headed as they come. So straightening up and rolling her shoulders back Cora took a deep breath and re-entered the room. Sybil followed her in and when Cora gestured for Doctor Clarkson to give her the cool cloth he was holding, Sybil gave him the nod that everything was alright and he handed it to Cora and she returned to the chair beside her son and replacing her frantic words with calming ones tried her best to dab the cloth on Oliver's forehead and silently braced herself for what she knew would be a long night.

A few hours had again crept by and it was now the small hours of the morning, although if you told Cora it had been days she would have believed it. The room was now eerily quiet as she sat and again stroked her little boy's hair as he lay peacefully on the bed. Doctor Clarkson had given him something called phenobarbital so he could have at least some rest. It was a relatively new drug he said, apparently, it was only discovered in 1912 which explained why she had not heard of it before that night. But none of that mattered to her. Watching her son sleep peacefully after a long and painful night was a relief she welcomed. Sybil suggested she take the opportunity to go to bed and get some rest herself. But she refused. Oliver's fever as of 20 minutes ago was still at a dangerous 103 and while it had dropped it was still a cause for great worry. So she continued her show of affection as she allowed the hours to continue their course.

Beautiful beams of soft yellow sunlight shone through the gap in the curtains as Downton welcomed a new dawn to its history. There were now four chairs in the room and in each sat an equally exhausted being. Doctor Clarkson was the only of the four still awake for despite their best efforts Sybil, nanny, and Cora had succumbed to sleep about an hour beforehand, Cora with her hand wrapped gently around her little boy's. Doctor Clarkson got up to close the curtains properly but a little voice from the back of the room stopped him in his tracks. "Mama" a tiny voice croaked and the doctor spun round. Cora, who had always been a light sleeper sat bolt upright tears again streaming down her cheeks, although this time due to complete and utter happiness. The commotion had also woken Sybil who too was sitting up in her chair followed shortly after by nanny and they both watched as Doctor Clarkson moved passed them to get to the bedside and after feeling Oliver's forehead smiled and looking at Cora announced, "His fever's broken, he's out of danger". Beaming, Cora looked down at her little boy who turned over in the bed and asked with what little words he had, "water please". Tears of relief streaming down her face she exclaimed, "Oh my darling," and leaned down to kiss him on the forehead and sitting up again she said, "of course you can have some water". Sybil who had appeared behind her with a glass of water nanny had quickly poured handed it to her as she helped Oliver sit up. After helping him lay back down and placing the water back on the bedside table she threw her arms around her youngest daughter who whispered in her ear, "I told you, he's his mother's son".

There's chapter 5! I hope you enjoyed the chapter and thank you for all who gave me tips for my writing in their reviews. As well as being here to write about my favorite fandoms I am also here to improve as a writer so your tips are so very much appreciated. Thank you once again for reading and I'll have the final chapter up as soon as I can


	6. Bouncing Back

It has been a hot minute, but I'm back! The run-up to and the actual finals week were a mess but I'm so happy I now have the time to finish my story. This will be the last chapter of this story and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. I'm currently working on a Tom and Sybil story and have a few ideas for some other fics. I may decide to build on Oliver's story a little bit more, but for now he'll be staying in the safety of 1917 Downton. Once again I hope you enjoy the final chapter and thank you for your patience and coming back to read.

Bouncing Back

It had been three weeks since the night no one wished to remember. But for poor Cora, her little boy's suffering was still fresh in her mind. She hadn't allowed him to leave his bedroom for a week and a half and for a week of that Oliver was forcibly confined to his bed. She eventually gave into Sybil's insistence that his confinement was just as bad for him and Cora allowed him free reign of the house again. However, it took the youngest Crawley daughter a seemingly eternal amount of convincing to have her little brother allowed outside again. On the morning her mother finally relinquished her grip, Sybil beamed, thanking her profusely and kissed her on the cheek before dashing upstairs to tell little Oliver. She found him playing with his train in the nursery and she gave the door a gentle knock. "Come in" Nanny called from the chair where she sat watching the young master play. Oliver popped his little head up when he heard his sister enter the room.

"Hello you" she said kindly, crouching down to the same level as her younger sibling. He smiled at her before explaining as best he could his game. She nodded her head and played with him for a little while, making him smile and giggle before she put down the toy car he had handed her. "Oliver," she said and waited for her brother to park his train. "Mama said you can go outside today. Would you like that?". The little boy's head shot up, his eyes wide as he repeated excitedly "outside!" "Yes," Sybil laughed as the small boy squealed with delight, got up and ran from the room. Sybil followed close behind him giggling as she ran behind him to the library. Everyone in the room laughed out loud as, upon bursting through the door, the little boy flung himself at his mother who was sitting in a chair by the fire, thanking her and giving her a big hug. Cora returned her little boy's squeeze then got up, took his hand and went with him to the nursery to help him get dressed. The poor boy was wrapped up warmer than the library fire and he did look funny as he waddled out the front door for the first time in weeks. Cora had insisted he wear no less than three layers as well as a hat and scarf for his outside escapade as it was still only January and the Yorkshire countryside can be quite nippy. Little Oliver was far too excited to protest his mother's demands and ran as fast as his bundled up legs would carry him to reacquaint himself with his beloved garden.

Oliver gasped in delight as the cool winter air washed over his face and Cora followed quickly after him, nervously fussing around him as he ran into the morning dew. But she stopped when she felt a hand gently catch hers. She looked over her left shoulder and found her beautiful blue-eyed daughter smiling reassuringly back at her. Sybil walked forward to stand directly beside her mother and gave her hand another squeeze as they gazed at the youngest Crawley laughing and playing with a butterfly that had found its way into his space. "Sybil!" he called, "look!". "I see" she chuckled as her brother returned to chasing the dainty creature. Cora wiped a stray tear from her face and turned to her youngest daughter. "He's going to miss you," she said quietly, "we all will". Sybil gave her mother a hug, gently rubbing her hands up and down the woman's back. They ended their embrace and turned once again to face the garden. "You'll be alright," Sybil said softly, "after all, the strongest of the women will still be in the house".

And there you have it, the final chapter of "Our Long Awaited Boy". I hope you enjoyed the sequel to "Christmas 1914" and how I portrayed little Oliver's early childhood at Downton. As always reviews are greatly appreciated and thank you for reading my story


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